Abstract Manager

The ministry has transitioned from the use of manual distress data collection to use of automated systems, since mid-1980s. Early automated systems were limited by the availability of computing power and storage and the vehicle operated solely as a high-speed inertial profiler measuring a single pavement condition parameter.

Over time, detection technologies related to pavement distress data collection and data interpretation have become increasingly more sophisticated. The quantity and quality of data generated by each successive generation of automated equipment has led to a progressive shift in the capability of automated systems.

In conjunction with the technological advances in pavement data collection, processing

and data management, several notable and concurrent changes occurred, both internal

and external to MTO, that have influenced the need for pavement condition data, the type of data collected and the frequency of collection.

This paper presents:

· a brief chronology of pavement evaluation and data collection at MTO,

· the changes that have influenced the need for automated data collection

· an overview of the ministry functions that rely on data collected, and

· MTO’s Pavements Section proposed strategy for improving access and visualization of the collected data.